'It's a Terrifying Disease:' Queen Camilla's Son Is 'Keeping His Fingers Crossed' King Charles Beats Cancer

Tom Parker-Bowles, 49, offered a hopeful yet "somewhat grim" update on King Charles III's, 75, health amid his "grueling" tour of Australia and Samoa.

"The King is strong," the author of the new book Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes From Queen Victoria to King Charles III shared. "He is doing what he can. He’s following the advice of his doctors. Fingers crossed, touch wood."

He added, "He's a magnificent king."

The writer then spoke about his admiration for his mother, Queen Camilla, 77. "It's a terrifying disease, and when someone close to you gets it in whatever capacity, it’s a very worrying thing. But my mother is strong as well. She supports him in every way. I think it’s wonderful to have someone you love by your side."

Parker-Bowles continued, "I'm incredibly proud of her. She’s at an age when most people think of retiring, but she never complains; she just gets on with it."

Her Majesty also won fans during the Down Under leg of their current trip.

She became the first British Queen consort to ever tour Australia and decided to throw palace protocol out the window when meeting Aussie royal fans.

"She was wonderful," a royal fan shared on X. "I couldn't imagine any of the queens all those years before her being so down to earth."

On Sunday, October 20, the Queen of Australia attended a church service before causing royal courtiers' jaws to drop when she posed for a selfie with a fan.

This led a royal reporter to share, "While there is no royal rule regarding selfies, it is generally discouraged for members of the royal family to pose for selfies."

It was also reported by an outlet that the Queen made an extra stop on the flight from Britain to Sydney, Australia, on Friday, October 18.

However, Indigenous protests have also cast a shadow over Their Majesties' trip, but both monarch and consort have defied the dissent and are dedicated to "being seen to be believed."

This led British Coronations Project at King's College London's founder Dr George Gross to state, "If you don't make these visits, what does that say? It's what the majority think that's crucial, and the majority don't get reported, unless there's a poll, and even that is only a sample."

During the protests and confrontation, the Queen remained calm and did not interact.

People spoke with Parker-Bowles.